Exact Replica of Historic Jeans to be Made Available to the Public
as Part of

the Levi's(R) Vintage Clothing Collection

SAN JOSE, Calif., May 25 /PRNewswire/ --

Through a special auction presented by The History Channel(R), eBay
(Nasdaq: EBAY) and Butterfields, the "oldest known" pair of
Levi's(R) jeans in existence was sold tonight for $46,532.00 to
Levi Strauss & Co. These authenticated 1880s jeans had an estimated
value between $25,000 and $35,000 according to appraisers at
Butterfields Auctioneers. Selling for $46,532.00 in a last-minute
bidding war on eBay, the jeans have now set a record as the highest
price ever paid for a pair of denim. All proceeds from the sale will go
to the individual seller of the jeans, who consigned the item to
Butterfields and wishes to remain anonymous.

Through a joint effort, these jeans were featured on History
Channel's History's Lost & Found Auction Block and
simultaneously listed on eBay in a seven-day auction, from May 17
through May 24 at www.ebay.com/history and www.historychannel.com .
History's Lost & Found, which airs Monday through Friday at
1:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. ET/PT, takes viewers on a wild scavenger hunt through history tracking down long lost objects and artifacts that have
significantly changed our world. The winning bid will be announced on
Friday's program, May 25.

"I'm thrilled that the world's oldest pair of
Levi's jeans have come home after more than 110 years," said
Bob Haas, chairman of Levi Strauss & Co. and the
great-great-grandnephew of the company's founder, Levi Strauss.
"This is an important piece of our company's history and
it's great that they will now be preserved in our archives."

"Levi Strauss & Co. invented the first pair of jeans in
1873, which have since become one of the most enduring icons of our
time," said Lynn Downey, Levi Strauss & Co. historian.
"Our archives are filled with examples of our nearly 130-year
tradition of innovation, the riveted blue jean."

Collecting vintage denim is a worldwide phenomenon. But not
everyone can buy $46,532 vintage jeans. To bring this historical find to
the public, an exact replica will be produced for the Levi's(R)
Vintage Clothing line, a collection dedicated to reproducing select
archival pieces in the most minute detail from the Levi Strauss &
Co. archive. The 1880s jean will be replicated with the original
details, including the unique "tool pocket" located on the
left thigh, the fabric, fit, buttons and stitching. Levi's Vintage
Clothing is produced at the world's oldest LS&CO. factory on
Valencia Street in San Francisco, and will be available for fall 2001
with a retail price of about $250. The jeans will be available at
Levi's(R) Stores in San Francisco, New York, London, Berlin, as
well as Selvedge in New York, Cinch in London, Zinc in Barcelona, B-Fly
in Milan, Buttenheim in Berlin and Nim in Paris.

About eBay Inc.

eBay is the world's largest on-line trading community. Founded
in 1995, eBay created a powerful marketplace for the sale of goods and
services by a passionate community of individuals and businesses. On any
given day, there are millions of items for sale on the site across
thousands of categories. eBay enables trade on a local, national and
international basis with local sites in 60 cities in the US and country
specific sites in Austria, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland,
Italy, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Switzerland and the UK. With the
acquisition of Half.com in July 2000, eBay's community now benefits
from a marketplace that includes traditional auction and fixed-price
trading.

About Butterfields

Butterfields, auctioneers since 1865, is an eBay company and one of
the world's leading fine art auction houses. Butterfields galleries
are located in San Francisco and Los Angeles with regional offices
across the globe. Butterfields has attained world record prices in many
collecting categories and offers a host of appraisal and auction
services. Online real-time bidding, powered by eBay's Live Auction
technology, has become a standard in the company's auctions. Online
illustrated catalogs, sales schedules, and information are available at
www.butterfields.com .

About The History Channel

Now reaching more than 72 million Nielsen subscribers, The History
Channel(R) reveals the power and passion of history as an inviting place
where people experience history personally and connect their own lives
to the great lives and events of the past. The History Channel is the
only place "Where the Past Comes Alive." The History Channel
received the prestigious Governor's Award from the Academy of
Television Arts & Sciences for the network's SAVE OUR
HISTORY(TM) campaign dedicated to historic preservation. The History
Channel

web site is located at www.HistoryChannel.com .

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